Senior Conservative was ‘big rock in my life’, says PM, as details emerge of communications surrounding controversial note Christopher Shale, the close ally of David Cameron’s whose body was discovered in a toilet at Glastonbury on Sunday morning, may have died as early as the previous afternoon, according to a family friend who said he was briefed by medical staff. It emerged that Downing Street had contacted the senior Conservative on Saturday to warn him that a controversial note he had written describing parts of his party as crass and grasping had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. One official contacted him by text just after 12.30pm to advise him not to speak to reporters; another suggested he get in touch with Conservative headquarters. Shale, chairman of West Oxfordshire Conservative Association and a prominent Eurosceptic, appears to have suffered a massive heart attack as early as lunchtime on Saturday. The prime minister said the death had left him and his wife, Samantha, “devastated”, adding “a big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away”. Cameron had been aware of the note’s existence and there is deep concern inside Downing Street that its contents, known only to a small number of people, had been disclosed. The paper was essentially a strategy document setting out how to recruit members. It said the local party appeared “graceless, voracious, crass, always on the take” and needed to radically change. Judging by its blunt language, the memo was clearly not written for wide circulation in his local party. Shale’s family is said to have a history of heart failure. Earlier reports, including one from the Glastonbury festival organiser, Michael Eavis, suggesting Shale had killed himself, were dismissed. Avon and Somerset police said that the death was not being treated as suspicious. Party officials had earlier said that there was no suggestion from Shale’s behaviour that he was overly concerned about the leak of parts of his memo to the Mail on Sunday. Shale’s contacts with Downing Street officials were seen as routine and polite, and he is not believed to have taken up the advice to speak to the party headquarters. One senior party source said the heart attack was “just a dreadful coincidence”, adding: “The story in the Mail on Sunday did not concern us that much.” After receiving the texts, Shale did contact the Witney constituency agent Barry Norton, a West Oxfordshsire councillor. Norton said: “He was absolutely in good health, we understand that his death has been as the result of a heart attack, that is the information we have. There is a history of that in his family and anything to the contrary, at the moment, is totally scurrilous.” Asked if Shale was aware of the Mail article which used information he had gathered, he said: “Yes he was. He was very aware of that article. “He was very circumspect with it and was quite confident that this was something that was not really an issue and he was looking forward to increasing our membership and was working on a pilot to try and do that.” It was pointed out that Shale, 56, who worked in public relations, management consultancy and marketing, was a robust character who would not be fazed by the interplay of media and politics. He had been staying in one of the luxury caravans behind the Pyramid Stage. His wife raised the alarm early in the morning, but his body was not found until 9am. But Shale may have died in the early afternoon of the previous day, according to the family friend. Rupert Soames, a businessman and friend of Shale who was at Glastonbury and has been helping co-ordinate arrangements following his death, said through a spokesman that medics had told him and Shale’s family that they believe he died of a massive heart attack “around lunchtime” on Saturday. The prime minister, who has been MP for Witney in Oxfordshire for 10 years, said Shale had been “a huge support over the last decade”. Cameron said: “Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm and above all his love of life. “It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative party. Our love and prayers are with Nikki and the family. They’ve lost an amazing dad, west Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.” In a statement, Michael Eavis said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the man whose body was found on the site early on Sunday morning.” Conservatives David Cameron Glastonbury festival Festivals Patrick Wintour Robert Booth guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Washington (CNN) – Republican Sen. Jim DeMint isn’t sold on who to support in the 2012 presidential election, but Jon…
Continue reading …Hugo Chavez is in critical condition in a Cuban hospital, according to reports in Miami’s Nuevo Herald. The Venezuelan president, who triggered health rumors earlier this month after he dropped out of view for surgery on a pelvic abscess, is “critical, in a complicated situation,” reports the paper. Chavez’s daughter…
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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama says technological innovations can help create jobs and spur growth in clean energy and advanced manufacturing. In his radio and Internet address, the president promoted a plan he outlined Friday in which the government would join with universities and corporations to re-ignite the manufacturing sector with an emphasis on cutting-edge research and new technologies…. Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : The Blaze Discovery Date : 25/06/2011 15:00 Number of articles : 3
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Education secretary accuses unions of militant strike action as Vince Cable intervenes over ‘war-like rhetoric’ A war of words has broken between Michael Gove and the teachers’ unions in an echo of the bitter divisions of the 1980s on the eve of crucial talks to avoid mass strike action on Thursday. Teaching unions reacted with anger after the education secretary accused them of risking their members’ professional reputations by taking “militant” strike action and suggested that parents could volunteer to break the strike and keep schools open on Thursday. Thousands of schools – along with colleges, universities, ports, courts and jobcentres – are expected to close in the walkout over pensions. Crunch talks with ministers are scheduled for Monday, with some unions billing them as the government’s last chance to avoid strikes. Ministers have extended the deadline for negotiations into the summer. Gove told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: “I do worry that taking industrial action, being on the picket line, being involved in this sort of militancy will actually mean that the respect in which teachers should be held is taken back a little bit.” He said he didn’t want to ratchet up rhetoric against unions, but added: “The public have a very low tolerance for anything that disrupts their hard-working lifestyles.” Mary Bousted, the head of the normally moderate Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), told the Guardian: “I think the threat to get parents to cover teachers is just ludicrous, the idea that children can usefully spend time in school being baby-sat ups the ante even more. This is inflammatory and it is inept. Michael Gove’s intervention is further evidence of ineptitude and cack-handedness. “The last thing my members want to do is strike. This is the first time in 127 years. We’re looking for government to negotiate in good faith.” Tensions have escalated in the runup to Monday’s talks amid renewed suggestions the government would try to change the strike laws and public funding of union activity should industrial action get out of hand. Whitehall sources confirmed that the use of public money to pay union officials to organise is now “under review” as part of a wider rethink in the civil service. Bousted said her union would challenge any attempt to toughen up strike laws – such as raising the threshold of the proportion of union members who take part in a ballot in order to trigger a strike – in the European court of human rights. But the business secretary, Vince Cable, who is responsible for strike laws, intervened to cool the rising tension. Insisting that he was speaking for the government, he said it had no plans to change strike laws and no need to prepare anti-strike contingency plans. His tone was markedly different from what he said was war-like rhetoric coming from some parts of government, including Gove. Cable told BBC Radio 5 Live: “There are people who are pushing from both sides, some people want strikes, some people want strike legislation. That’s not the way I’m going, the way the government wants to deal with this is through negotiation.” He added: “What I’m expressing is a government view. I’m not just expressing a personal or Lib Dem view. “And there is a view across government that we want to talk sensibly to the trade unions and we recognise the vast majority of trade unionist we talk to, whatever the rhetoric in public, is basically constructive and they want to avert large-scale disruption and we have to negotiate in good faith with them and will do so.” Most of the unions refused to comment in advance of the crunch talks. But Mark Serwotka, the head of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), whose members will also strike on Thursday, said: “My prediction to you now is that they will have the shock of their lives on Thursday. “And it is just the beginning unless the talks develop. Our task is to attend those meetings, represent our members, but to organise for a sustained battle.” PCS and ATL will be joined by the National Union of Teachers and Universities and College Union on Thursday’s strike. They are calling for the government to reverse a decision to change the method of uprating pensions, which they say has already drastically reduced their members’ pension pots. They are also calling on ministers to put the question of whether their contributions should increase by an average of three percentage points from next April – not just how they go up – on the negotiating table. Ministers say contributions must go up to reduce the taxpayers’ cost and safeguard defined-benefit schemes in the public sector. Most other public sector unions – along with the professional associations representing headteachers – are poised to ballot for strike action. The British Medical Association will debate whether to ballot for industrial action at its annual conference in Cardiff this week. Tensions are also simmering between the unions and the Labour party after the head of Unison, Dave Prentis, told his conference last week that his union would withdraw support from Labour candidates who did not back their aims during the selection process. In a Guardian interview on Saturday, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said that this week’s strikes were a “mistake”. On Sunday, the former prime minister Tony Blair urged unions to “engage with the process of change”. He told the BBC’s Politics Show that the unions “have got to modernise” and added: “The thing about the trade unions is that they too have got to modernise. I said this constantly when I was leader and they used to think that meant I was anti-union. I’m not. I’m in favour of strong trade unions – I think it’s great. But you’ve got to understand today how fast the world is changing. “What you’ve always got to be careful of – particularly with public sector unions – is you don’t become ‘small c’ conservatives.” Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “I can assure the public now that we have rigorous contingency plans in place to ensure that their essential services are maintained during the strike action on Thursday.” Michael Gove Teaching Vince Cable Trade unions Dave Prentis Mark Serwotka Labour Ed Miliband Tony Blair Francis Maude Patrick Wintour Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Gov. Chris Christie Would Veto A New York-Style Marriage Equality Bill In NJ
June 26, 2011 No Comment
Gov. Cuomo just praised the passage of NY’s Marriage Equality bill: The other states look to New York for the progressive direction. And what we said today is you look to New York once again, because New York made a powerful statement, not just to the people of New York, but to people all across this nation. We reached a new level of social justice this evening, marriage equality. I said to the legislators, you look at the first word, marriage, it’s really about the second word, equality. It’s really about New Yorkers, our brothers and sisters, looking at us and saying, we want equality. We want equality in society, equality in our relationships, equality in our love, equality in our families. We want full recognition, marriage equality, and we did it today. NJ’s Governor Chris Christie was on Meet The Press today, why? Because it’s Conservative Talk Show Sunday, naturally. But besides that, he made several comments today that were offensive. To me, the lead was that he would veto any bill that would pass NJ legislature sanctioning marriage equality similar to the one that just passed in New York . Christie: ..In our state we’re going to continue to pursue civil unions. I am not a fan of same sex marriage. It’s not something that I support. I believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. That’s my view. And– and that’ll be the view of our state because I wouldn’t sign a bill like the one that was in New York Christie’s religious views outweigh common decency and so he would deny the right of the gay community to have equality through his veto power. Maybe that’s why his polling numbers have dropped like a balloon. enlarge Credit: Meet The Press Gov. Chris Christie’s falling poll numbers You’d never know his popularity has been plunging like a rock since he’s become Governor if you watch the national news. By anointing him with superstar status, the media has been helping build him his own national campaign for when he decides to run for the Oval Office. At least MTP flashed some reality on the screen.
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A wise person probably once said, “You don’t ‘make’ a viral video, a viral video ‘happens’ to you.” Well, it looks like this viral video just happened all over this guy’s face. Whether this is staged or not, we don’t really care. It’s hilarious… and horrible. WATCH: Via Nick Vatterott
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Judge has ordered the paper to hand over the tape, but Sunday Times is considering an appeal against his decision Essex police are taking legal action to seize a tape recording that might implicate the energy secretary, Chris Huhne, for avoiding taking penalty points over a speeding offence. The police have won a court order directing the Sunday Times to hand over an alleged tape recording between Huhne and his former wife, Vicky Pryce. According to an account of the conversation published by the Sunday Times two months ago, Pryce can be heard talking about her fears of a police inquiry if the claims became public. “It’s one of the things that worried me when I took them; when you made me take the points in the first instance,” she says. Huhne is non-committal about the episode, according to the published account, but urges her not to discuss the matter with journalists. The taped conversation then found its way to the Sunday Times. It is understood that after the police mounted an investigation into whether Huhne had asked his wife to take penalty points on her licence, Pryce said she was unable to provide the police with any further evidence to substantiate claims she had made in newspapers. After a private hearing at Chelmsford crown court last week, a judge ordered that the taped evidence be handed to the police. The Sunday Times has said it might appeal on the grounds of keeping sources confidential. Essex police is investigating claims that Huhne avoided a driving ban by persuading Pryce to say she was driving when his car was clocked speeding in 2003. Huhne has denied any wrongdoing. If there is sufficient evidence, either Huhne and Pryce, a respected economist, could both be charged with a criminal offence. Pryce has been involved in complex divorce proceedings, and all sides face the danger of failing to co-operate with a police inquiry. Chris Huhne Sunday Times Newspapers & magazines News International National newspapers Newspapers Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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Players could enter court to a fanfare under organisers’ plans to distinguish Olympic tennis from 2012 Wimbledon tournament Its historic, manicured grounds are more accustomed to the sound of rippling applause and enthusiastic, if decorous, shouts of “Come on Andy!” But on 28 July next year, when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club becomes the home, for two weeks, of Olympic tennis, the courts of SW19 could find themselves echoing to We Are the Champions by Queen or Tina Turner’s Simply the Best. Under plans being considered by Locog, the 2012 Olympics organising committee, players – dressed, of course, in national colours rather than “predominantly white” – could enter the courts to rousing tunes of their choice, creating arguably the rowdiest atmosphere seen at Wimbledon in its 125-year history. It is part of a strategy to differentiate Olympic tennis from the 2012 Wimbledon championships, which will have concluded just 20 days earlier. “What we don’t want is to come here and everyone say this is Wimbledon part two a few weeks later,” said Debbie Jevans, 2012′s director of sports and venues. “The championships have their unique look, a unique feel. Everything about them is completely identified with Wimbledon. “When it comes to 2012, we want the look and feel to be distinctive.” The All England Club’s distinctive livery of purple and green – reflected even in the planting of the flowerbeds at Wimbledon – will be replaced with hoardings and branding in as yet unconfirmed Olympic colours, said Jevans. She acknowledged, however, that “there are some things you can’t change: the grass is green”. More than 100 Locog staff have been on site during the championships, shadowing All England Club personnel in preparation for the wholesale handover next year. Aside from a tiny number of key personnel – including the head groundsman, Eddie Seward, who plans to resow the courts between the two events with specially pre-germinated grass seed to ensure they are pristine for the Olympics – almost all staff, from catering to security to ticketing, will be new to Wimbledon. There will be a new entrance during the Olympics, at the southern end of the site where the corporate marquees are erected, but with a much smaller programme of events: only 10 courts will be used compared with the 19 during the regular championships, and the visitor numbers will be around half. What is essentially a dry run during Wimbledon 2011 is the first of a rolling programme of test events designed to prepare the venues that will host the Games next summer. A comprehensive 12-month testing programme will cover 42 events across 26 venues and involve 8,000 athletes from more than 50 countries. Among the more high-profile test events are beach volleyball at Horse Guard’s Parade in August and basketball games in a dedicated temporary arena on the Olympic Park, for which spectators will be bussed in and out of what is essentially still a building site. The first big public test will be eventing (dressage, show-jumping and cross-country) at Greenwich Park, which takes place at the beginning of July. Tickets for the equestrian events will be given away to local residents, some of whom have been critical of the need to close the park during the Games. A total of 150,000 tickets costing between £5 and £35 will be on sale for several events, although others, such as the London–Surrey Cycle Classic to test the road race route, will be free. For spectators, perhaps the biggest difference for the Olympics at Wimbledon will be the absence of queueing, which gives even ticketless fans a chance to watch Centre Court matches if they are prepared to wait long enough. All tickets for Olympic tennis will be sold in advance. Jevans said she was examining Wimbledon’s system whereby departing spectators hand in show-court tickets for resale to ground ticket-holders. Separately, however, Olympics organisers have confirmed they are considering a similar scheme for the Olympic Park. They want to avoid the empty seats that embarrassed organisers in Beijing. The architects of the park are also studying the ambience on Wimbledon’s Murray Mound for landscaping ideas. They hope people will remain in the park to eat, drink and watch the action on big screens so that they can regulate the crowds and create atmosphere. The use of music might break Wimbledon’s hallowed traditions, but it is not entirely new. Some tennis tournaments, including the US Open and the ATP finals at the O2, already use amplified music to build atmosphere. At Flushing Meadows signature tunes are played as the players emerge and also at each change of ends. And if a particular celebrity is in the crowd, they are often greeted with a relevant burst of music, and shown on the big screen. Olympic Games 2012 Olympics 2012: Tennis Wimbledon Tennis Owen Gibson Esther Addley guardian.co.uk
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One of the world’s oldest and largest gay pride parades turned into a carnival-like celebration of same-sex marriage as hundreds of thousands of revelers rejoiced at New York’s new law giving gay couples the same marital rights as everyone else. (June 26)
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